THE  ORES  OF  GOLDFIELD,  NEV. 
By  J.  E.  Spurr. 
Development. — The  new  camp  of  Goldfield,  in  Nevada,  was  m 
visited  by  the  writer  in  November  of  this  year.     This  district  li  i 
23 \  miles  south  of  Tonopah   (about  28  miles  by  wagon  road),  ar 
was  located  late  in  the  spring  of  1003.     At  the  time  of  the  writei 
first  visit,  shortly  after  its  location,  the  only  work  being  done  Avas  by 
few  men  on  what  is  now  known  as  Columbia  Mountain.     Up  to  th; 
time  no  good  strikes  had  been  made.     About  January  and  Februan 
1004,  however,  rich  finds  began  to  be  made  in  certain  spots  south 
Columbia  Mountain.     Now  there  are  probably  upward  of  0,000  |i 
habitants  in  the  district.     The  town  of  Goldfield  and  a  number 
adjacent    smaller    camps    have    sprung    up.     It    is    estimated    tr 
$2,000,000  worth  of  ore  had  been  shipped  up  to  November,   10C 
since  then  the  amount  has  been  largely  increased. 
Conditions. — Goldfield  is  reached  by  stage  from  Tonopah,  to  whi 
point  a  railroad  runs,  connecting  with  the  Carson  and  Colorado  Ra| 
road  at  Rhodes;    a  branch  is  now  under  construction  to  Goldfie 
The  camp  has  a  water  supply  which  is  said  to  be  sufficient,  but  in 
other  respects — fuel,  climate,  supplies,  etc. — it  partakes  of  the  inefj 
table  disadvantages  of  the  desert. 
General  geological  situation. — The  district  is  bounded  on  the  w 
in  part  b}^  a  lava -capped  mesa,0  whose  erosion  has  laid  bare  the  undc 
lying  gold-bearing  rocks.     The  auriferous  region  is  characterized 
numerous  low,  irregular  ridges  standing  out  from  the  lower  and  m 
nearly  level  surface.     These  ridges  owe  their  origin  to  hard  reefs 
quartz  which  form  their  crests,  whose  resistance  to  erosion  has 
them   thus   protruding   above   the   general    elevation;  and    in   t\ 
quartz  reefs  the  auriferous  deposits  are  found. 
Columbia  Mountain. — Columbia  Mountain  is  the  most  promim 
of  the  ridges,  and  some  notes  on  its  geology  were  made  public 
the  writer  last  year.b  Near  the  south  end  of  the  ridge  the  rod 
largely  alaskite  (an  igneous  rock  consisting  of  quartz  and  feldsp: 
■ 
"  The  capping  lava  is  reported  to  be  basalt.  A  brown  sandy-looking  rock  underi  - 
this,  a  specimen  ol  which  was  sent  to  the  Survey  by  Mr.  Maynard  Bixby,  is  a  rhy  l| 
glass  flow. 
0  Notes  on  the  geology  of  the  Goldfield  district,  Nevada  :  Bull.  U.  S.  Geol.  Survej 
225,  pp.  118-119. 
132 
